Selection Report: Discovery Indigenous 2017
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Overview
The Discovery Indigenous scheme provides funding to support research programmes led by an Indigenous Australian researcher and builds the research capacity of higher degree research and early career researchers.
The objectives of Discovery Indigenous are to:
- support excellent basic and applied research and research training by Indigenous Australian researchers as individuals and as teams;
- develop the research expertise of Indigenous Australian researchers;
- support and retain established Indigenous Australian researchers in Australian higher education institutions; and
- expand Australia’s knowledge base and research capability.
Selection Process
Proposals for funding commencing in 2017 opened on 3 February 2016, and closed on 31 March 2016. Proposals were submitted through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Management System (RMS). This report outlines recommendations from the selection process for that round.
Funding recommendations have been prepared for submission to the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The recommendations are based on advice from the ARC College of Experts which:
- assigned independent assessors to review the proposals
- assessed proposals and reviewed assessments made by independent assessors
- reviewed Applicants’ comments on assessors’ reports
- ranked each proposal relative to the others on the basis of the proposal, the assessors’ reports and Applicants’ responses to those assessments
- assessed and recommended budgets
and, advice from the ARC Eligibility Committee which:
- considered eligibility issues identified by ARC staff, the ARC College of Experts or independent assessors
- where required, sought clarification from Administering Organisations with respect to issues raised
- made recommendations to the Acting CEO in respect of ineligible proposals.
This report reflects the approved recommendations by the Minister. Unless otherwise specified, figures presented in this report exclude withdrawn proposals.
Selection Criteria
Selection criteria and corresponding weightings for Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals are:
Project Quality and Innovation | 40% |
Investigator(s) | 35% |
Project Research Environment | 15% |
Feasibility and Benefit | 10% |
The ARC assessment process for 2017 used 80 College of Experts members across five discipline panels and was managed in the Research Management System (RMS). A total of 84 independent assessors’ reports were submitted to the ARC for Discovery Indigenous 2017.
Funding levels and duration
Funding of between $30,000 and $500,000 per annum for up to five years may be awarded for each Discovery Indigenous proposal. In addition to a minimum of $30,000 in project costs per annum a proposal, Chief Investigators who are Indigenous Australians may be awarded the annual salary contribution called Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) providing the annual total does not exceed $500,000. The DAATSIA may be awarded at one of five salary levels, either $97,708 or $114,950 or $149,436 or $172,427 or $206,911, (2015$) including 30 per cent on-costs.
Summary of Outcomes
The ARC received a total of 31 proposals for Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2017, the same as for Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2016.
The overall success rate for Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2017 is 35.5 per cent, with a lower percentage of allocation of requested funds compared to Discovery Indigenous for funding commencing in 2016 (Table 1).
Of the 31 proposals considered in this round, 15 included funding request for Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) at one of five salary levels. The overall success rate for Discovery Indigenous proposals requesting DAATSIA in 2017 is 26.7 per cent (Table 2).
Table 1. Comparison of proposal numbers, success rates, requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Indigenous proposals from 2016 to 2017
Funding year |
Proposals considered |
Proposals approved |
Success rate |
Requested funds over project life (all proposals) |
Requested funds over project life (approved proposals) |
Approved funds over project life (approved proposals) |
Approved funds as % of requested funds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 |
31 |
10 |
32.3% |
$20,945,638 |
$5,441,127 |
$4,059,356 |
74.6% |
2017 |
31 |
11 |
35.5% |
$23,490,410 |
$7,154,177 |
$4,634,891 |
64.8% |
Table 2. Success rates for Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) for approved Discovery Indigenous proposals 2017
DAATSIA Salary Level |
Proposals with DAATSIA considered |
Proposals with DAATSIA approved |
Success rate |
---|---|---|---|
Salary Level 1 |
3 |
1 |
33.3% |
Salary Level 2 |
4 |
1 |
25.3% |
Salary Level 3 |
3 |
1 |
33.3% |
Salary Level 4 |
3 |
1 |
33.3% |
Salary Level 5 |
2 |
0 |
0.0% |
Total |
15 |
4 |
26.7% |
Outcomes by discipline panels
Table 3. Comparison of proposal numbers, success rates and requested and allocated funds for approved Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals by discipline panel
Panel † |
Proposals considered |
Proposals approved |
Success rate |
Requested funds over project life for all proposals considered |
Requested funds over project life for approved proposals |
Approved funds over project |
Approved funds as % of requested funds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BSB |
2 |
1 |
50.0% |
$1,146,437 |
$444,079 |
$372,474 |
83.9% |
EIC |
2 |
1 |
50.0% |
$1,405,874 |
$556,732 |
$473,000 |
85.0% |
HCA |
13 |
4 |
30.8% |
$10,215,222 |
$3,133,525 |
$2,020,104 |
64.5% |
MPCE |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
$720,013 |
$720,013 |
$355,000 |
49.3% |
SBE |
13 |
4 |
30.8% |
$10,002,864 |
$2,299,828 |
$1,414,313 |
61.5% |
Total |
31 |
11 |
35.5% |
$23,490,410 |
$7,154,177 |
$4,634,891 |
64.8% |
† BSB—Biological Sciences and Biotechnology; EIC—Engineering, Information and Computing Sciences, MPCE—Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences; SBE—Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences; HCA—Humanities and Creative Arts
Outcomes by Science and Research Priorities
Table 4. Approved funding and success rate for Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals by Science and Research Priorities
Science and Research Priorities |
Proposals considered |
Proposals |
Success |
Approved funds (over project life) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Environmental change |
2 |
2 |
100.0% |
$727,474 |
Health |
18 |
7 |
38.9% |
$2,837,713 |
Resources |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
Soil and water |
2 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
Unspecified |
8 |
2 |
25.0% |
$1,069,704 |
Total |
31 |
11 |
35.5% |
$4,634,891 |
Total within Science and Research Priorities |
23 |
9 |
39.1% |
$3,565,187 |
Percentage within Science and Research Priorities (%) |
74.2% |
81.8% |
|
76.9% |
Outcomes by Administering Organisation
Table 5. Numbers of proposals and success rates for approved Discovery Indigenous 2017 proposals by Administering Organisation
Administering Organisation |
Proposals considered |
Proposals |
Success rate (%) |
Approved funds over project life ($) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Capital Territory |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
University of Canberra |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
New South Wales |
9 |
2 |
22.2% |
$660,400 |
Charles Sturt University |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
$348,000 |
Macquarie University |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
Southern Cross University |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
The University of New South Wales |
2 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
The University of Sydney |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
$312,400 |
University of Technology, Sydney |
2 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
University of Wollongong |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
Northern Territory |
2 |
1 |
50.0% |
$358,313 |
Charles Darwin University |
2 |
1 |
50.0% |
$358,313 |
Queensland |
5 |
2 |
40.0% |
$975,000 |
Griffith University |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
Queensland University of Technology |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
The University of Queensland |
3 |
2 |
66.7% |
$975,000 |
South Australia |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
$337,000 |
University of South Australia |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
$337,000 |
Victoria |
11 |
3 |
27.3% |
$1,200,474 |
Deakin University |
2 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
Monash University |
3 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
RMIT University |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
The University of Melbourne |
4 |
3 |
75.0% |
$1,200,474 |
Victoria University |
1 |
0 |
0.0% |
$0 |
Western Australia |
2 |
2 |
100.0% |
$1,103,704 |
Murdoch University |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
$371,000 |
The University of Western Australia |
1 |
1 |
100.0% |
$732,704 |
Total |
31 |
11 |
35.5% |
$4,634,891 |
Career age and gender
A total of 92 Chief Investigators (CIs), including 15 Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award Candidates (DAATSIA), were named on all proposals considered in this round. Of these, 36 were female CIs and 56 were male CIs. The success rate for female CIs and male CIs in this round of Discovery Indigenous proposals is 27.8 per cent and 35.7 per cent respectively (Figure 1). Of 15 CIs who applied for DAATSIA, the success rate for female DAATSIA Candidates and male DAATSIA Candidates is 12.5 per cent and 42.9 per cent respectively (Table 6).
Success rates of CIs by career age and gender in the current Discovery Indigenous round are represented in Figure 1 below. CIs who did not specify the date of completion of their PhD or who do not hold a PhD (10.9 per cent) are not represented in the figure below.
Figure 1. Participation and success rate of Chief Investigators (CIs) in Discovery Indigenous 2017 by gender and career age*
* Career age is calculated as years since PhD.
Table 6. Success rates by gender for Discovery Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Award (DAATSIA) Candidates, for approved Discovery Indigenous proposals 2017
Gender of DAATSIA Candidates |
No of DAATSIA considered |
No of DAATSIA approved |
Success rate |
---|---|---|---|
Female |
8 |
1 |
12.5% |
Male |
7 |
3 |
42.9% |
Total |
15 |
4 |
26.7% |
International Collaboration
Applicants foreshadowed 23 instances of collaboration with researchers in seven overseas locations on nine proposals. Of the proposals approved for funding, four foreshadowed 11 instances of collaboration with researchers in seven overseas locations.